We are about to find out if our universe really is a hologram
What could be the most important scientific
experiment of our lifetime is about to begin. The so-called Holometer
Experiment at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory aims to
determine whether our perception of a three-dimensional universe is just
an illusion. Do we actually live on a 2D plane, as a holographic
projection? There is a well-established theory that states we are indeed
living in a hologram, with a pixel size of about 10 trillion trillion
times smaller than an atom. This has certain implications, some of which
are quite sinister, even unspeakably horrific.
The
argument about the nature of the universe hinges on something that
99.99% of people are not able to comprehend even on the most superficial
level — namely, a comparison of the energy contained in a theoretical
flat universe with no gravity and the internal energy of a black hole,
and whether these two energy levels match or not.
Or whatever.
The
point of the Holometer experiment is that it will be able to reveal via
the pixelation effect if our universe is, indeed, a hologram. It will
achieve this by putting two interferometers really close to each other,
creating laser beams and observing possible jitters when they interact.
If there are certain kinds of wobbles in the laser beams’ interaction,
that means we actually live on a surface of a flat plain and only
perceive our universe to be three-dimensional.
And
this is where the cosmic horror seeps in. There was an influential
piece published in Philosophical Quarterly in 2003, arguing that we
probably are living in a computer simulation and this argument has
nothing to do with the physical experiments now being carried out. The
philosophical argument pivots on the point that if humanity continues
surviving and computer technology continues advancing, we will
inevitably reach a stage where it will be possible to simulate the
entire planet and all of its living beings.
At
some later stage, creating these simulacra of Earth will become cheap
and common — just like building mobile apps. This means that ultimately
there will be billions or trillions of simulations of the universe that
offer nearly perfect fidelity. Nearly, but not quite, because at the
heart of these fake universes there will be some pixelation if you
burrow deep enough.
And those
Fermi geeks are about to burrow deep. After we find out about whether
we live in a hologram, we can all go back to focusing on Twitch’s valuation and whether the iPhone 6 will feature a sapphire screen.
But deep inside, we will be shriveling in horror about the possibility
that we live in a simulation and not knowing whether it’s some distant
sequel to Sim City or Gears of War with a really long epilogue.
More from BGR: Here’s another major iPhone 6 change you didn’t see coming
This article was originally published on BGR.com
Original post found here:
Post a Comment